All paper products flying model aircraft

ABSTRACT

A flying model aircraft kit is invented for use with radio control and electric power and is constructed entirely of paper products without any other materials necessary for structural support, with the exception of glue. The aircraft kit provides for extremely inexpensive and simple manufacturing methods, while also providing for ease of construction, lightweight, high strength, durability, scale appearance, and the ability to effectively repair after crashing. The airframe is also designed such that structural pieces can be manufactured using smaller standard paper sizes, which enable extraordinarily low cost manufacture. The airframe derives its strength using a paper skin exoskeleton impregnated with epoxy resins such that tensile strength is derived from the aircraft skin itself, in addition to internal supports made of heavy card. The wing utilizes innovative construction that produces a precise and flyable wing made entirely of paper products.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REFARDING FEFERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flying radio controlled model airplanes are typically made available as merchandise in the form of ready-to-fly foam, plastic, or wood construction, or with kits made of balsa, plastic, other wood products, or a combination thereof. Scale model kits comprised mainly of wood and plastic are relatively expensive, typically require many, many months to build, arguably require prior experience to build well, and typically cannot be easily repaired after a bad crash. It is therefore in the interest of kit building radio control airplane enthusiasts to be provided with an innovative flying aircraft kit comprised entirely of paper products that is relatively simple to build requiring little or no prior experience, has superior durability, scale aircraft looks, and can in fact be easily repaired multiple times after crashes and flown again. To date, there are no kits presently known to contain all of these qualities in a single invention.

While card models of aircraft comprised entirely of paper products have been known to exist to those skilled in the art, and inspiration for this new model has been drawn from them, none have yet been invented to contain the design structures and methods of construction necessary to provide enough strength or precision of construction to accommodate controlled, powered flight in a model comprised entirely of paper products.

The unique and novel aspects of the design and construction methods utilized in this airframe allow for enough strength and precision of construction to accommodate controlled, powered flight from a model airframe built entirely of paper products. The novelty in this invention is that the construction techniques and design of this airframe allow for extremely inexpensive manufacturing techniques, ability to sustain controlled powered flight, ease of construction, high strength, lightweight, scale aircraft appearance, and ease of repair.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for an airframe comprised entirely of paper products capable of powered radio controlled flight. The outer skin of the product, comprised of light card material, is then covered in epoxy resin to provide for a tensile surface strength making up the majority of the structural integrity of the airframe that is necessary for powered flight. The unique method of airframe construction provides for a lightweight, simple to build, and durable airframe. The unique construction method of the wing allows for a consistently straight and true alignment necessary for controlled flight. The unique construction of the wing allows for lightweight and durable construction to be possible in a wing made entirely of paper products. The unique construction of the wing spars allow for high strength, large spars to be fashioned out of smaller pieces of heavy card product that can be manufactured and printed on standard paper sizes. The goal of the inventor is to be able to provide hobby enthusiasts with an extraordinarily low cost, simple construction, highly durable, easy to repair, and highly detailed scale model aircraft capable of radio controlled powered flight.

Problems that exist with adapting contemporary card models comprised entirely of paper products for powered, controlled flight is that they are not strong enough to sustain the forces rendered in aerobatic maneuvers resulting from powered, controlled flight, or they are too heavy to sustain flight. They may be, and have been known, to be augmented with wood or plastic pieces to add strength enough to sustain powered, controlled flight.

However, this invention allows for the airframe to be comprised entirely of paper products, requiring no wood, plastic, metal, or other support apparatus, and is produced in a single kit which allows for low cost and ease of manufacture, as well as ease and simplicity of construction.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1-4: A DESCRIPTION OF WING SPAR DESIGN

FIG. 5-6: A METHOD OF AIRCRAFT SKIN CONSTRUCTION USING PANELS OF PAPER

FIG. 7-8: A METHOD OF AIRCRAFT SKIN CONSTRUCION USING BULKHEADS, SPECIALLY SHAPED SKIN PIECES, AND EPOXY.

FIG. 9-10: A METHOD OF FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION USING CARD BULKHEADS, AND REMOVAL OF CENTERS FOR LIGHTWEIGHT.

FIG. 11-12: A METHOD OF FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION COMBINING SEVERAL SECTIONS OF FUSELAGE MADE OF CARD AND EPOXY.

FIG. 13-14: A METHOD OF WING CONSTRUCTION UTILIZING TWO MAIN WING SPARS OF HEAVY CARD

FIG. 15-16: A METHOD OF WING CONSTRUCTION UTILIZING WING TIP RIBS, BRACES, AND SPARS

FIG. 17-19: A METHOD OF WING CONSTRUCTION HOLDING SPARS FLAT TO SURFACE WHILE COVERING WITH LIGHT CARD OUTER SKIN, AND COVERING WITH EPOXY.

A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A flying model aircraft kit is invented for the purpose of use with radio control and electric power and is constructed entirely of paper products without the use of any other materials necessary for structural support, with the exception of glue. The purpose of the aircraft kit is to provide for extremely inexpensive and simple manufacturing methods, while also providing for ease of construction, lightweight, high strength, durability, scale appearance, and the ability to effectively repair after crashing. The airframe is also designed such that structural pieces can be manufactured using standard paper sizes that are compatible with modern digital photo copiers, which are key to enabling extraordinarily low cost manufacture. The airframe derives its strength using a paper or card skin exoskeleton covered in epoxy glue such that tensile strength is derived from the aircraft skin itself, in additional to internal supports made of heavy card. This enables the aircraft to be lightweight, yet strong, and entirely made of low cost paper products. This also enables ease of construction, and ease of repair. Consistent with different variations of models, alternate fuselage and wing structures can be made; however, all follow the same manufacture, basic structural tenets, and construction design consistent with this invention.

Components of the unique design and construction of this kit are as follows:

1. Sections of wing spar comprised of heavy card are cut out and joined together in a unique laminated design to produce a single, large, strong wing spar. This unique design allows for you to produce this entire airframe using standard, low cost, copier sized prints, and without incurring the high cost associated with larger prints requiring specialized machines. See FIGS. 1-4.

2. Specialized fuselage covering pieces are then cut out and glued together to form a single, larger piece to act as an outer skin panel of the airframe. This allows for large aircraft to be created from smaller sized paper prints that can be produced inexpensively without specialized, more expensive printing equipment. This also facilitates the creation of genuine “panel lines”, a hallmark of detailed realism found on quality model aircraft. See FIGS. 5-6.

3. Specialized proprietary pieces composing the outer skin of the aircraft fuselage are glued around and between two bulkheads to form a single fuselage section. Skin is then impregnated with epoxy to give it the necessary tensile surface strength to form a strong, yet lightweight model. Heavy card braces are inserted to the fuselage skin on the fuselage interior, and situated between the two bulkheads, acting as supporting braces. See FIGS. 7-8.

4. All bulkhead centers are then removed for the purpose of making the model light in weight, and for the purpose of granting access to the interior of the fuselage for the purpose of installing the necessary power and radio control equipment. See FIGS. 9-10.

5. Fuselage sections are then joined together to form a complete fuselage, using glue. Fuselage is then further covered in epoxy resins to create additional strength. See FIGS. 11-12.

6. Aircraft fuselage bulkheads are cut from heavy card stock. Bulks are strengthened and sealed on their edges using glue to prevent separation. (no figure shown).

7. Two main spars are utilized in the wing, located fore and aft, to produce both the necessary strength and consistent straightness of the wing chord during construction.

Ribs made of card are added to the inside of the wing. A brace for the wing tip, in the shape of the wing tip, is utilized in the form of heavy card; edge braces for the wing tip are placed along the edge; small wing tip ribs are utilized between the edge braces and the end wing rib; secondary spars traverse between said end wing rib and middle wing ribs, carrying the loads imposed on the wing tips both to the middle of the wing ribs and spars, and along the top and bottom wing covers, which provide great tensile surface strength which reinforce the entire wing. See FIGS. 13-16.

8. Said main spars 1 and 2 are both held flat to the building surface while wing is covered and glued. Said method of construction is repeated on both sides of the wing and will result in a straight, true, consistent wing design and construction that is capable of aerobatic, controlled flight, and heavy landings. See FIGS. 17-19.

9. In the event of damage sustained to the aircraft as the result of high impact, sections of fuselage will typically break “cleanly” along easily repairable lines. Any bent spars can be easily reinforced with scrap card; fractures can be easily fit back together and repaired with epoxy glue; sections of wing cover can be opened up and then re-closed; cracks or fissures can be reinforced with scrap card and epoxy glue. (no figures shown). 

1. A flying model aircraft kit and airframe suitable for powered flight and radio control that is comprised of entirely paper products and glue deriving its strength from tensile, hardened construction of its outer skin, or covering, and internal supports made entirely of heavy card.
 2. The use of epoxy resins impregnating an outer skin comprised of light card material to produce an extremely strong and lightweight exoskeleton airframe.
 3. The practice of removing heavy card bulkhead centers to facilitate lower overall flying weight and promote fuselage interior access.
 4. A single wing consisting entirely of paper and heavy card utilizing two main spars consisting of heavy card for support—epoxy covered paper outer skin providing the tensile surface strength of the wing—use of one wing tip brace made of heavy card on each wing tip—wing tip ribs of card on each wing tip transferring load to internal supports and tensile surface strength of the wing.
 5. Load bearing heavy card wing spars that are assembled in laminated pieces one on top of another in such a unique way so as to create a single wing spar that is much greater in length than the size of any single paper that the individual pieces are printed on, and thereby enabling a very large, structurally sound wing spar to be manufactured and created from smaller paper sizes.
 6. A fuselage and wing panel designs such that the necessary large panel pieces can be formed by joining smaller pieces together enabling the panels to be produced on smaller sized paper stock.
 7. A method and particular sequence of instructions comprising a new and useful process to produce a wing comprised entirely of paper products that will provide for a wing that is consistently straight and true if said method of construction is followed. 